Tuesday, 11 October 2016

The author in my spotlight ....is Lynda Young Spiro

I am thrilled to be able to welcome Lynda Young Spiro to Jaffareadstoo

I recently read and enjoyed Lynda's novel There Is Always More To Say so I am thrilled to be able to chat to Lynda about her book.

Lynda, tell us a little about yourself
and what got you started as an author?

Thanks so much Jo for having
invited me to be a guest author on your lovely blog. What can I tell you about
myself? I was born in Hampstead, London where I now live with my husband. I
have two adult sons, although they will always be my babies! I’m a mixed media
artist. I have an absolute passion for colour which along with my fascination
with texture and my love of recycling have all found expression in a large body
of work that includes textile design, latch-hooked rugs, needlepoint cushions,
mosaics, painting and sculpture. I’m also a part time examinations invigilator.
My hobbies are belly dancing, tap dancing (which I do with my 82-year-old mother!),
and contemporary jazz dancing. I enjoy both going to the theatre and the
cinema. I also like to take the opportunity to visit art galleries and museums.
I adore travelling and experiencing different sights, sounds, and smells in new
places.

My writing definitely started
when I began working as an invigilator a couple of years ago. The silence was
really lovely in the examination hall. Very peaceful. And as the girls wrote their
exams I would think. I started reflecting, reminiscing, remembering. And when I
got home I would write down these thoughts. By the end of the summer exam
period I had accumulated a significant amount of writings. One afternoon I read
some snippets to a close friend who suggested I turn them into a book. I had
never written fiction before but the idea appealed to me. I had previously
written a non-fiction book called Latch Hooking Rugs which was published by A
& C Black.

Where did you get the first flash
of inspiration for There Is Always More To Say?

New Generation Publishing

2016

My story came from within all the
words on paper that I had accumulated. I don’t remember a first flash of
inspiration. The story just came to me. I had recently turned fifty-five and I
realised that I had been married for over half of my life. I wasn’t sure where
the time had gone. It made me think about the life that I had led before I was
married and the life that I was now leading. I was inspired by my own
experiences. And those of my friends. And of course my imagination played a
huge part in the storyline of There Is Always More To Say. However, the first
flash of inspiration would have been one of the pieces that I had thought about
whilst in the examination hall.

What came first – the idea or
theme, the plot, place or character?

The characters came first, then
the theme and the story came last. I actually didn’t write the book in
sequence. I wrote pieces and then put them all together. I literally wove a
story around thoughts.

Will you explain to us a little
more about the plot without giving too much away?

It’s quite hard talking about the
plot without giving too much away but I’ll tell you a little bit about the
story. In 1984, thirty years ago two people met by chance when fate intervened
and drew them together. Their lives collided. And both were changed forever.
The time they shared together was too brief. The friendship was abruptly
disrupted and became restricted. Separated by circumstance and long distance.
The communication was always sporadic. But the memories and the feelings have
lingered for decades. For both of them. The narrator chronicles the lives of
the couple through friendships, marriage, fleeting moments and snatched time.
It is a passionate account about a connection between two people that never
dies, even when tested by distance and when life throws the unexpected at their
feet.

How did you come up with the
title of your book?

I was down to a shortlist of
three different titles of which There Is Always More To Say was not one of
them. But one day whilst I was writing, in my head I thought ‘there is always
more to say’. I can remember smiling to myself and thinking: yes, that’s my
title. I still might use one of the other titles from the original shortlist
for my next book.

And finally, what is the main
thing you want readers to take away from your book?

I hope my readers paint their own
picture after having read my book. I would like them to posit their own
questions, possibly interpret their own relationships and to place themselves
in the story’s narrative after reading it. Hopefully, every reader will find
something they can identify with and relate to within the story.

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